The Tournament
by The Legend of Rune Factory
Summary: Down to their last Pokemon in the Driftveil Tournament, two trainers battle it out to an unexpected finish. Afterward, he sees his opponent in the lobby and decides to strike up a conversation. "I haven't been home in a while, and Unova is so far from Johto..." "I can go with you. If you don't want to go alone."


**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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The Driftveil Tournament Arena vibrated with energy. Two trainers stood on the platform, facing each other, ignoring the excited crowd around them. The young man swallowed hard and pulled his last pokeball from his belt. He threw it into the field.

"Go, Metagross!"

A blue and silver Pokémon phased out from it. Its red eyes blazed. "Meta!" It roared, snapping its claw-like hands.

The announcer practically bit into the microphone as he talked. "The trainer from Hoenn is down to his last Pokémon! But it looks like the Johto trainer isn't intimidated! I don't know about you, but that Dragonite sure looks bad!"

The female trainer, the one from Johto, smirked. "Dragonite, use wing attack."

As the Dragonite rushed forward—very weakly but with admirable determination—her opponent shouted a command. "Metagross, use rock slide!"

The Dragonite didn't even make it to the Metagross before she was crushed beneath a super-effective rock slide. Her trainer calmly took out her pokeball and called her back. "Dragonite, return!"

"This is it, folks!" The announcer sat on the edge of his chair. "We're down to the final Pokémon!"

The female trainer smiled again and stared at her opponent. "Before I annihilate you, I want to congratulate you on getting this far." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

"It's not over yet." He glared at her beneath the brim of his hat.

She shrugged. "Suit yourself." Instead of to her belt, she reached for the pokeball on her necklace. As she pressed the center button, it enlarged in her hand. "Go, Cynder!" She pitched it into the field.

Her final Pokémon phased out. A Typhlosion stood in the dirt. He roared and shot fire into the air from his collar. The air around him sizzled, steaming into nothingness as the crowd gasped. Such a Pokémon was no often seen in Unova.

"That's your last Pokémon? You realize that Metagross's rock slide can decimate that in a heartbeat!" The Hoenn trainer crossed his arms, a small smile crossing his features.

"Ah, but what type is your beloved Metagross? I used Cynder here to incinerate both Jasmine and Wally. Your Metagross has no chance." She pointed toward her opponent. "Cynder, use flamethrower!"

"Metagross, rock slide!"

Both Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously. When they hit, the arena was clouded by fire and dust. As it cleared, it revealed Metagross and Cynder standing proud, if not a bit worse for wear.

"Cynder, use dig."

The Typhlosion burrowed beneath the arena field.

"Metagross, protect yourself with light screen!"

The Pokémon barely got the screen up in time before Cynder barreled from the ground. Metagross flew back against the field. "M… Meta…" It pushed itself up.

"Face it; you've lost." The Johto trainer smirked again, this time placing her hands to her hips. "Cynder, use dig again before it can do anything."

Cynder obediently dove under the dirt once more.

The Hoenn trainer gave one last command. "Metagross, use earthquake!"

"What?!" She gasped. "You're kidding!"

The ground rumbled beneath them, causing both trainers to stumble for their footing. Cynder was spit up out of the ground and landed with a thud in the dust as it ended. He whimpered softly and slipped into a faint. She quickly called him back as the crowd erupted in cheers.

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After the battle, the Hoenn trainer walked into the lobby on his way out to the city when he saw his opponent sitting on one of the couches. "Hey!" He walked over to her.

"Hm?" She looked up from whatever strange device she was holding. It seemed like a mix between an Xtranceiver and a Pokénav. "Oh, it's you." Her dark blue eyes clouded over.

"Yeah… Hey, uh… What's that?" He pointed to the object.

"My PokéGear. I was looking at pictures of Cynder." She held it up to reveal a photo of a Quilava rolling on a ball.

"I…see." He sat next to her. "I'm Jalen, by the way. I'm from Little Root town. In Hoenn."

"Zackari. New Bark Town. Johto." She put her PokéGear in her pocket. "You already beat me. What do you want?"

"I wanted to introduce myself…" He frowned slightly.

She sighed and looked away. "Sorry. I'm just a bit homesick. I haven't been home in a while, and Unova is so far from Johto…" Her gaze cast downward. "Dragonite wouldn't be able to make the whole trip in one setting. She probably wouldn't even be able to cross the ocean in one setting. Even if she could, I don't really want to take that risk…"

He nodded and then asked, "Can't you take the Royal Unova?"

"Yeah, but that'll get me to Sinnoh. Then I have to go from Sinnoh to Hoenn, and then Hoenn to Kanto, and finally I can get to Johto after that. It's a long trip."

Jalen noticed her forlorn expression and cleared his throat. "You know… I could go with you. If you don't want to be alone."

"You want to go with me?" She looked up, startled.

"Sure. I've got badges from almost all those places, so we could just fly from town to town once we arrive." Jalen sat back on the couch. "It'll take a while, but it'd be worth it. Besides… I've never been to Johto."

She stood up. "Let's get going then! You need to see Mount Silver, and Dragon Cave, and the Lake of Rage, and the Ruins of Alph…! Ugh, there's so much you're missing!" She grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

Before he could react, he found himself pulled to his feet and dragged out the door.

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**-LoRF**

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